# What is the biggest fad you've witnessed? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 26, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713 "2005-01-26T04:55:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/1 "2005-01-26T04:55:05Z")
In my 31 years of living, the low card diet fad is the biggest one I can think of. In fact, sadly, there seems to be no sign of it slowing down. It’s still growing. But I also figured, that there has to be other fads out there that are or were bigger, or equally as big, and would like to hear some of them. And please, I hope we can keep this thread civil, and not have replies like “Religion is the biggest fad I’ve encountered.” or anything like that. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/2 "2005-01-26T05:45:44Z")
Probably the Hula Hoop, but Davy Crocket hats were big too and disco music. My grandfather contended that indoor plumbing was a fad and a dangerous one at that. “It’s just not healthy to crap in the same building you eat.” Who knows, he may have been right. Afterall, he dead now and he died after he got indoor plumbing. Then again a lot of things happened after he got indoor plumbing. ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/3 "2005-01-26T06:03:26Z")
I’m not so old, so the biggest one I’ve seen is probably Pokemon. Tamagotchi, Furby, Tickle Me Elmo…they were all just pretenders to the throne. However, it has been about nine years since the monsters invaded, and they’re still pretty popular both in the States and in Japan…maybe they transcend the “fad” label. Seems to me the low carb diet craze is actually dying down at least a bit, but that’s just my personal observation. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/4 "2005-01-26T07:14:58Z")
The Beatles, though I was too young to notice much except for the Paul McCartney and Wings part. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/5 "2005-01-26T07:36:09Z")
I’m 34. The biggest one I can think of is the Rubik’s Cube. Or at least that’s the fist thing that comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/6 "2005-01-26T07:40:02Z")
Gotta second the Pokemon fad. And as also mentioned, those damn things are still around. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/7 "2005-01-26T07:42:31Z")
Trading cards of any sort. These things are like $4 a pack nowadays. All that for a picture of athelete and his stats. I don’t know why anyone would buy them, especially since today’s cards are worth nothing. Almost all of my friends growing up had thousands “invested” in these things. Whether its baseball, pokemon, or magic cards, they are all worthless and stupid. Yet somehow, each generation get sucked into buying them. Also tatoos. Why is it manly to get a picture on your arm. The tatoo trends like tribal armbands, barbed wire, and Asian characters are the biggest fads I’ve seen this side of shoes with lights in them. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/8 "2005-01-26T07:57:04Z")
I’ve seen the usual ones, some of which are listed above. My school went through either two or possibly three yo-yo crazes, but those were short-lived. Disco and such qualify in a way, but you had to usually _go_ to a disco to hear it, so it’s a bit like saying electronic dance music is a fad - I think disco was more of a fashion as it was longer-lived, but less intense than what I usually think of as a fad. Probably the biggest one in recent memory was metal micro-scooters. You couldn’t leave your house without seeing them. Maybe the Macarena. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/9 "2005-01-26T08:04:44Z")
1. The late nineties boy band and pop princess explosion. And reality television. God, please, let it be a fad. Please, please, please. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/10 "2005-01-26T08:10:10Z")
The Beatles were a fad? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/11 "2005-01-26T15:23:50Z")
Like the OP, I’m 31, but I’m tempted to say “Cabbage Patch Kids”, because I remember the mobs and the fighting and the fury over getting these ridiculous-looking dolls for the kids for Christmas. It made “Tickle-Me-Elmo” look like a friendly bridge game. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/12 "2005-01-26T15:25:53Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > The Beatles, though I was too young to notice much except for the Paul McCartney and Wings part. That’s not a fad…that’s an institution in the making! ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/13 "2005-01-26T15:26:57Z")
Home Console Video Gaming. Paid for grade school, high school, and some college tuition. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/14 "2005-01-26T15:27:33Z")
CB radios were all the rage in the mid 70s. I used to sell them ( :eek: ). THere were songs and movies and practically anyone with a car and a hundred bucks had one. We couldn’t keep them in stock. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/15 "2005-01-26T15:45:20Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > Maybe the Macarena. Seconded. That’s what I was going to mention. How ridiculous was the macarena!? Good lord, what were people thinking? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/16 "2005-01-26T15:50:50Z")
Manufactured pop princess/boyz band ‘music’. It’s been around for at least 20+ years. Reality TV. God.is.it.ever.stupid.and.worthless. Cher. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/17 "2005-01-26T16:08:56Z")
The current low carb. diet fad has risen from the ashes of the low fat diet fad. From my recollection, low fat was easily as prominant 8 - 10 years ago as low carb is now. Remember all the 0 fat products that were produced to meet this demand. WOW! potato chips are the most notorious. Bet the folks at P & G are beyond thrilled that billions of dollars later -after the fake fat was made, incooperated into potato chips, and then pushed onto the market over several law suits and lord knows what else - we learn that it’s the potato part of potato chips that’s making us fat, not the fat part. In the the toy division, Beanie Babies took all. They propelled ebay onto the map as folks were paying over $200 for a single animal.Pity the fool who thought their retirments was assured because they owned mint condition Bats, Snort, Princess Diana Bear, and Fishy. My favorite fad was the Pet Rock. It was just so silly. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/18 "2005-01-26T16:10:10Z")
[ol][li]Divine[/li][li]Bruce Villanch[/li][li]Louie Anderson[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/19 "2005-01-26T16:23:48Z")
Geez, it seems I have witnessed far too many fads: Toys: - “knockers” (the two resin balls at the end of a piece of string) and yo-yo’s were huge at times when I was in school - pogs, Pokemon, and Yu-gi-oh with more current kids (nephews and nieces) What I call the “John Travolta” fads: - the blight that was disco. - followed by the almost as big country western (“Urban Cowboy”) fad (remember Gilley’s ?) - there was also a brief 50’s fad following “Grease” The “Smokey and the Bandit” fad: CB radios Health and fitness: - aerobics (which spawned step, boxing, kick boxing, and spinning) - Nautilus - earth shoes and Birkenstocks - yoga and pilates seem to be the new “in” exercise That’s all I can think of for now. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713/20 "2005-01-26T16:26:38Z")
Reality TV is the biggest fad around, IMO. Big enough for all the networks to throw hundreds of millions of dollars into it, anyway. What the network people haven’t realized yet is that there will be virtually no demand for these mega-hyped reality shows in syndication (because everyone will know the big twists and secrets and winners), and similarly, no market for DVD sets (which have proven to be HUGE sellers with more traditional TV shows). Syndication is where most TV shows really make their money back for the people involved in creating them, so these guys are going to be S.O.L… Hopefully, once they realize they’re only hurting their own long-term profits by not creating more innovative programming with “re-watchability,” we’ll start to see more diverse programming and fewer reality shows on TV in the months and years to come. Also, I’m annoyed that random people from reality show are becoming overnight celebrities… just for being on TV. Whether it’s a Survivor winner or an American Idol loser, all of a sudden their faces and names are everywhere, like we’re supposed to care. (I can understand the “celebrity” nature of an actor, musician, or athlete, but these people hardly count.) A comedian (Dana Carvey, perhaps?) had a routine that if there was a hypothetical “Grapefruit Channel” on TV that just showed a video image of a single grapefruit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the producers could bring the grapefruit out to a public area like a mall, and people would line up and charge admission to see it in person. “Hey maw, that there’s the grapefruit what’s on TV!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-biggest-fad-youve-witnessed/286713.md?page=2)